Packaged Food Product

ABSTRACT

A packaged food product has (i) a tray, (ii) a plurality of stackable chip snacks aligned on the tray main body, and (iii) a tubular container. The tray contains (1) a tray main body comprising a proximal tray end and a distal tray end, and (2) a cushioning space at the distal tray end. The tubular container contains a wall body, a closed container end adjacent to the wall body, an openable container end adjacent to the wall body and opposed to the closed container end, the tubular container comprising the plurality of stackable chip snacks and the tray therein. The tray is aligned so that the cushioning space is oriented adjacent to the closed container end.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims the benefit of PCT China Application No. PCT/CN2009/001314, filed Nov. 25, 2009.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a packaged food product. More specifically, the present invention relates to a packaged food product containing stackable chip snacks such as molded chip snacks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Chip snacks such as potato chips are normally filled in a flexible bag or in a tubular container. A flexible bag may be used for naturally cut potato chips. The flexible bag may protect such naturally cut potato chips from external shock by filling the bag with gas. Such a flexible bag requires space to transport and display because of the extra space taken up by the gas. A tubular container may be used for molded potato chips. The tubular container may be useful for cramming the molded potato chips which have substantially the same shape by stacking them.

But chip snacks in a tubular container may crack or break during shipping, stacking, storage, etc. The chip snacks are sometimes fragile that consumers find some cracked or broken chips when they open the container. Therefore, there is a need to protect chip snacks from cracking due to external shocks.

Furthermore, when such chip snacks are filled in a tubular container directly, a consumer may need to reach his/her hand into the tubular container to remove the snacks. This can sometimes be messy because such an action may soil the consumer's fingers and/or hand with oil, cracked chips and/or flavoring. Thus, there is a need of a package to accommodate chip snacks with less cracking and messiness.

In view of the above problems, the present invention seeks to provide a packaged product of chip snacks with less breakage even when they receive a strong shock in the shop shelves, during transportation, etc. The present invention may also significantly reduce messiness when consumers eat such chip snacks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a packaged food product has (i) a tray, (ii) a plurality of stackable chip snacks aligned on the tray main body, and (iii) a tubular container. The tray contains (1) a tray main body comprising a proximal tray end and a distal tray end, and (2) a cushioning space at the distal tray end. The tubular container contains a wall body, a closed container end adjacent to the wall body, an openable container end adjacent to the wall body and opposed to the closed container end, the tubular container comprising the plurality of stackable chip snacks and the tray therein. The tray is aligned so that the cushioning space is oriented adjacent to the closed container end.

One of the benefits of the present invention is to further protect stackable molded chip snacks from external shocks such as dropping, bumping, and other shocks derived from storage, transportation, etc. because the cushioning space reduces the transmission of force to the snacks and thereby reduces breakage. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the tray serves to protect the stackable molded chip snacks from cracks resulting from the transmission of an external shock to the snacks. As less force is transmitted to the snacks with the tray of the present invention, fewer snacks are broken during shipment, storage, etc.

BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is more readily understood by the attached non-limiting drawings, where:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a packaged food product having a tray therein, and a plurality of chip snacks on the tray, the tray being manually slid from the tubular container;

FIG. 2 illustrates a top plan view of the tray depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a partial top view of a conventional tray;

FIG. 4 illustrates a side plan view of the tray of FIG. 2, viewed from the second side;

FIG. 5 illustrates a side plan view of the tray of FIG. 2, viewed from the sliding tab;

FIG. 6 illustrates a cardboard box containing the packaged product of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 illustrates a case face diagram showing contact position in the drop test.

The drawings herein are not necessarily drawn to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

All documents cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. The citation of any document is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior art with respect to the present invention.

As used herein, “molded chip snacks” can include an edible snack product that has been shaped, extruded or roll-milled in such a way as to provide a chip-shape.

As used herein, “stackable” can include a state where an object substantially has a planar shape and a plurality of such objects can be heaped one another in a line, vertically, horizontally or whatever else. Molded chip snacks are substantially uniform in size and shape. They can be stacked and packaged in rigid tubular containers.

As used herein, “tray” can include an object on which stackable chip snacks are put and stored.

As used herein, “sliding” can include a state where an object is linearly movable in a certain orientation.

The present invention relates to a packaged food product containing a tray, (ii) a plurality of stackable molded chip snacks and (iii) a tubular container.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a packaged product according to the present invention. The packaged food product, 20, contains (1) a tray, 12, (2) a plurality of stackable molded chip snacks, 14, and (3) a tubular container, 16. The stackable molded chip snacks, 14, are aligned on the tray, 12. The tray, 12, containing the stackable molded chip snacks, 14, is initially inserted into the tubular container, 16. The tray, 12, is manually slid from the tubular container, 16, for consumption of the stackable molded chip snacks, 14.

The tray, 12, has a tray main body, 18, and a proximal tray end, 22, and a distal tray end, 23 (see FIG. 2), opposed to the proximal tray end, 22. The tray, 12, further has a first side wall, 24 and a second side wall, 26, each connecting to the proximal tray end, 22, and the distal tray end, 23.

In FIG. 1, the tray main body, 18, contains an integrated pulling tab, 28, at the proximal tray end, 22. The pulling tab, 28, contains a pinching member, 31, which has a concave-convex surface. In this embodiment, the pinching member, 31, protrudes upward from the proximal tray end, 22, so that a thumb and a finger can pinch the pinching member, 31, easily. In another embodiment, the pinching member may protrude downward from the proximal tray end. In this embodiment, the tray, 12, has an open top, 30, so that a user can easily remove the stackable chip snacks, 14.

On the tray main body, 18, are aligned a plurality of stackable molded chip snacks, 14. The stackable molded chip snacks, 14, may be based on potato, rice, flour, corn, etc., or based on potato or rice. The stackable molded chip snacks, 14, may have a wavy shape, a concave shape or a planar shape, especially a concave shape.

The tubular container, 16, has a closed end, 32, and an openable end, 34, opposed to the closed end, 32. A lid, 35, is typically present to allow easy opening and reclosing of the openable end, 34. When the packaged food product, 20, is subject to sale, the openable end, 34, may be sealed with the lid, 35. The tubular container, 16, further has a side wall, 36, connecting the closed end, 32, and the openable end, 34. The tray, 12, is inserted into the tubular container, 16, so that the pulling tab, 28, is oriented toward the openable end, 34, of the tubular container, 16. This makes removal of the tray, 12, easier and less messy.

When in use, the tubular container, 16, is opened by removing the lid, 35. After withdrawing by pulling the pulling tab, 28, the plurality of stackable molded chip snacks, 14, emerges from inside the tubular container, 16. Then the stackable molded chip snacks, 14, are easily removed without reaching for deep inside the tubular container, 16.

Without intending to be limited by theory, it is believed that when a plurality of stackable molded chip snacks are aligned inside a tubular container without a tray, the inner surface of the tubular container may be soiled by the stackable molded chip snacks; i.e., as oil, cracked chips and/or flavors adhering thereto. In order to remove the stackable molded chip snacks from the tubular container, consumers may need to put their hand into the tubular container or need to tilt the tubular container and drop the stackable molded chip snacks onto a hand, a dish, or other surface. Such actions can be sometimes messy because the fingers and hand may be soiled, or a separate vessel such as a dish may be needed to receive the chip snacks. With the packaged food product of the present invention, consumers can retrieve chip snacks with less messiness because their hands may not be soiled and a separate vessel is not necessarily needed.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the tray depicted in FIG. 1. The pinching member, 31, may have a width, W, and a length, L. The width, W, and the length, L, are typically from about 5 mm to about 40 mm, from about 8 mm to about 35 mm or from about 10 mm to about 30 mm. The shape of the pinching member, 31, is not limited particularly. In some embodiments, the pinching member, 31, may have a shape of a circle, an oval, a square, a polygon, etc. In one embodiment, the pinching member, 31, has a logo of an old man's face commonly known as Mr. Pringles. In one embodiment, the pinching member, 31, has a logo of a product name (e.g., logo of Pringles).

The pulling tab, 28, may be a fixed structure or a bendable structure. In this embodiment, the pulling tab, 28, is a fixed structure. In another embodiment, the pulling tab may be bendable to allow greater flexibility during use from a variety of different angles.

In a normal package, the stackable molded chip snacks located at a tray end may be inclined to receive more external shock than located in the middle, and therefore they are easy to be cracked. Some of stackable molded chip snacks such as molded potato chips are formed wavy or concave. In the present invention, the tray, 12, is provided with a cushioning space, 25, between the distal tray end, 23, and the stackable molded chip snacks, 14, The cushioning space, 25, has a curvature so that the edge of the stackable molded chip snacks may not directly contact the tray, 14. The tray, 14, has a shoulder part, 27, outside the cushioning space, 25. The shoulder part, 27, contacts the stackable molded chip snacks, 14, but it is important to note that the distal tray end, 23, does not directly touch the stackable molded chip snacks, 14. This cushioning space, 25, therefore allows the distal tray end, 23, to deform due to impact without directly transmitting this impact force to the stackable molded chip snacks, 14. Instead, the distal tray end, 23, deforms to absorb and reduce the impact force. Then, a reduced impact may be transferred at the multiple shoulder parts, 27, instead of at a single point. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the stackable molded chip snacks, 14, inside the tray, 12, are less likely cracked or broken by external shocks because of the deformability of the tray, 14, and the presence of the cushioning space, 25.

The cushioning space, 25, takes up the distance between the tray, 12, at the distal tray end, 23, and the closest stackable molded chip snack, 14. Therefore, the deformation distance, D, between the distal tray end, 23, and the closest stackable molded chip snack, 14, should be from about 2 mm to about 15 mm, or from about 3 mm to about 12 mm, or from about 5 mm to about 10 mm, so as to allow sufficient space for deformation before the tray would touch the closest stackable molded chip snack, 14.

In an embodiment herein, the tray also has a cushioning space at the proximal tray end, 22, as well as at the distal tray end, 23. Such an arrangement is especially useful for protecting from impact forces from multiple directions during transportation, storage, etc.

In an embodiment herein, the distal tray end requires a force of from about 0.5 kg to about 1 kg in a dynamic impact test in order to deform the tray 1 mm. Equipment useful for testing such a deformation includes Instron tension testers, from Instron Industrial Products, Norwood, Mass., USA.

The tray, 12, may be made of any kind of material such as plastic, a biodegradable material, metal, rubber, and a mixture thereof. Suitable plastics may include, but are not limited to, polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutadiene, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyamides, polyesters, polyvinylchloride derivatives, co-polymers thereof, and mixtures thereof. Suitable biodegradable material may include, but are not limited to, corn starch, rice starch, flour starch, potato starch, cellulose, polylactide, polycaprolactone, polyvinylalcohol, casein, and a mixture thereof. Biodegradable materials are more preferable, and especially corn starch. In an embodiment herein, the tray comprises corn starch.

In an embodiment herein, the distal tray end, 23 is deformable, and therefore helps to absorb impacts which would otherwise be transmitted to the stackable molded snacks.

FIG. 3 is a partial top view of a conventional tray, 112, where the distal tray end, 123, is formed flat, as compared to the present invention which is curved. When the distal tray end, 123, is pressed or subjected to any pressure or impact the pressure gets transmitted directly to the stackable molded chip snacks, 114, which in turn greatly increases their chances of breaking the stackable molded chip snacks.

FIG. 4 is a side plan view of the tray of FIG. 2, viewed from the second side, 26. In this embodiment, the tray, 12, may have a height greater than that of the chip snacks, 14, contained inside the tray, 12. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the stackable molded chip snacks, 14, can be more protected from external shocks.

The tray, 12, contains a plurality of bumps, 42. The bumps, 42, may protrude outward from inside the tray main body, 18, or inward from outside the tray main body, 18, resulting in a plurality of convex and/or concave shapes. In this embodiment, the bumps, 42, protrude outward from inside the tray main body, 18. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the plurality of bumps, 42, can strengthen the rigidity of the tray. That is, the bumps can achieve sufficient rigidity even using a thin material for the tray, leading to a lighter weight tray. Thus strengthened tray can also protect the stackable molded chip snacks from an external shock. It can prevent or at least reduce cracked stackable molded chip snacks. The shape of the bump may not be limited particularly, and examples include, a circle, an oval, an ellipse, a square, a triangle, etc.

The bumps, 42, may be distributed to the entire tray main body, 18, including the first side wall, 24, and the second side wall, 26, and the bottom, 38. The broad distribution of the bumps, 42, may protect the stackable molded chip snacks from cracking.

The tray, 12, contains a bottom, 38 in the tray main body, 18. The tray, 12, is typically provided with at least a pair of supporting members, 36, protruding outward from the bottom, 38, of the tray main body, 18. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the pair of the supporting members, 36, may provide stability with the tray, 12, when it is placed in a tubular container (see FIG. 1) or on a plane (see FIG. 4). Also the supporting member, 36, may protect the stackable molded chip snacks, 14, from an external shock when the packaged product, 20, is dropped from a certain height, or is pressed by an external force. In the embodiment, the tray, 12, contains three pairs of supporting member, 36, substantially located parallel to each other.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the tray of FIG. 3, as seen along line 4-4. The shape of the bottom, 38, may be substantially planar or rounded. In this embodiment, the bottom, 38, is rounded. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the round shape of the bottom, 38, can complement the shape of the stackable molded chip snacks, 14, contained in the tray, 12. As these shapes complement each other, and as only the supporting members, 36, and an edge shelf, 43, touch the tubular canister, the cracks of the stackable molded chip snacks reduce. An edge shelf, 43, may also further help to reduce the transmission of force to the stackable molded chip snacks, by further deforming instead of transferring impacts and force.

The packaged food product of the present invention is in no way limited to a particular type or category of food products. Thus, the package of the present invention can be practiced with any product therein. For example, the product of the present invention can be selected from the group consisting of fragile food products such as molded potato chips, molded rice chips, molded corn chips, etc.

It should be noted that the present invention has no limitation to the sizes or dimensions of the packages. In certain embodiments, the tubular container has from about 3 cm to about 15 cm, from about 4 cm to about 12 cm, or from 5 cm to about 10 cm in diameter, from about 6 cm to about 50 cm, from 7 cm to about 45 cm, or from about 8 cm to about 40 cm in depth. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the tubular container for containing molded potato chip snacks has 5.3 cm in width, and 4.7 cm in depth. In certain embodiments, the tray has from about 3 cm to 15 cm, from about 4 cm to about 12 cm, or from 5 cm to about 10 cm in width, from about 3 cm to 15 cm, from about 4 cm to about 12 cm, or from about 5 cm to about 10 cm in depth. The tray and the tubular container of the present invention can have any sizes or dimensions.

In this embodiment, the stackable molded chip snacks have a snack height, h₁, and the tray has a tray height, h₂. In an embodiment the tray height is more than about 50%, or from about 60% to about 100% of the snack height, or from about 65% to about 85% of the snack height. Without intending to be limited by theory, it is believed that having such a tray height is especially useful in combination with a stackable molded chip snack that has an oval or rounded shape. Specifically, in such a case, the edge shelf, 43, will be higher than the midpoint of the stackable molded chip snack, 14. Therefore when an impact occurs, the edge shelf will again deform rather than press directly on the stackable molded chip snack, and therefore breakage will be reduced.

The shapes of the stackable molded chip snacks may not limited so far as they are stackable to each other, but the stackable molded chip snacks preferably have a shape selected from the group consisting of wave, concave, and curvature.

EXAMPLES Drop Test

A tray was manufactured by extruding a biodegradable corn starch material. The tray has a thickness of 0.55 mm. 100% whole molded potato chips (brand name; Pringles® Original Mix, manufactured by The Procter & Gamble Company) were manually stacked into the trays (74 chips per tray) and the potato chips on the trays were put in each tubular container (container size: diameter 65 mm, and height 210 mm). 12 (Twelve) tubular containers were packed into a cardboard case (3 (columns)×4 (lines) cases) as seen in FIG. 5. The cardboard case was subjected to a drop test. There were seven (7) free drops of the cardboard case during the dropping test, following the instruction shown in Table 1 and FIG. 6. In FIG. 6, the numbers from 1 to 6 shows each plane of the cardboard case. After the dropping test, the molded potato chips were retrieved from the tubular container. The molded potato chips were carefully sorted by (i) whole chips (>90% weight), (ii) broken chips (>50%, <90% weight) and (iii) small pieces (<50% weight). The result is shown as Table 2. The result (With tray) was compared with the one conducted with molded potato chips in a tubular container without a tray (No tray).

TABLE 1 Drop number Drop height (cm) Drop facings 1 38.1 cm Edge of 3 and 4 2 38.1 cm Edge of 3 and 6 3 38.1 cm Edge of 4 and 6 4 38.1 cm Corner of 3, 4 and 6 5 38.1 cm Corner of 2, 3 and 5 6 61.0 cm Face 3 7 38.1 cm Face 3

TABLE 2 No tray (control) With tray Whole chip 49% 69% Broken chips 23% 22% Broken into Small pieces 28%  9%

As a result, the packaged product of the present invention showed significantly more whole chips after the drop test as shown above, compared with a packaged product without a tray (69% vs. 49%). Furthermore, there was a significantly lower amount of chips that were broken into small pieces with the tray of the present invention (9%) as compared to when no tray was present (28%).

The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean “about 40 mm”.

All documents cited in the Detailed Description of the Invention are, in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference; the citation of any document is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior art with respect to the present invention. To the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this written document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to the term in this written document shall govern.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention. 

1. A packaged food product comprising: (1) a tray comprising: (i) a tray main body comprising a proximal tray end and a distal tray end, and (ii) a cushioning space at the distal tray end; (2) a plurality of stackable molded chip snacks arranged in the tray main body; and (3) a tubular container comprising a wall body, a closed container end adjacent to the wall body, and an openable container end adjacent to the wall body and opposed to the closed container end, the tubular container comprising the plurality of stackable molded chip snacks and the tray therein, wherein the tray is slidable along the wall body, and the tray is aligned so that the cushioning space is oriented adjacent to the closed container end.
 2. The packaged product according to claim 1, wherein the tray is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of plastic, a biodegradable material, metal, rubber, and a combination thereof.
 3. The packaged product according to claim 1, wherein the stackable molded chip snacks have a concave shape.
 4. The packaged product according to claim 1, wherein the tray main body further comprises a cushioning space on the proximal tray end.
 5. The packaged product according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of stackable molded chip snacks are selected from the group consisting of a molded potato chip, a rice snack, and a combination thereof.
 6. The packaged product according to claim 1, wherein the deformation distance is from about 2 to about 15 mm.
 7. The packaged product according to claim 1, wherein the tray comprises an edge shelf.
 8. The packaged product according to claim 1, further comprising a pulling tab at the proximal end.
 9. The packaged product according to claim 1, wherein the tray comprises a bottom which is substantially round.
 10. The packaged product according to claim 8, wherein the tray comprises at least one pair of supporting members at the bottom.
 11. The packaged product according to claim 7, wherein the pinching member comprises a width, W, from about 5 mm to about 40 mm.
 12. The packaged product according to claim 2, wherein the biodegradable material is selected from the group consisting of corn starch, rice starch, flour starch, potato starch, cellulose, polylactide, polycaprolactone, polyvinylalcohol, casein, and a mixture thereof.
 13. The packaged product according to claim 1, wherein the stackable molded food snacks have a snack height, and wherein the tray has a tray height, and wherein said tray height is more than about 50% of the snack height.
 14. The packaged product according to claim 13, wherein the tray height is from about 60% to about 100% of the snack height.
 15. The packaged product according to claim 13, wherein the tray further comprises an edge shelf and wherein the edge shelf is higher than the midpoint of the stackable molded chip snack. 